Odell began playing with the black elastic hair tie around her wrist again, like deja vu she watched him twist it around her wrist with his large fingers
"He always been like that?" He asked her.
Massy continued looking at him play with the hair tie, goosebumps formed on the arm he was touching, she began to grow hot and that tingling feeling tickled her lower abdomen, she pressed her eyes tightly together then tightened her stomach trying to get rid of the feeling, she had been lying there for going on twenty minutes without a single problem, but all of a sudden his cologne became alluring and began to fill her nostrils.
"Uuummm...... Yea, yea." She said trying to gain her attention back. "He's always been tough on me. He wanted all boys, but instead, he got all girls, and he was determined to make one of us an athlete like him, but Mari was too far gone in makeup, fashion, and boys, to even look at anything athletic. So, that left me." Massy put her fingers up turning them into air quotes as she said "The Golden Child."
Her arms flopped back down on the bed, she waited for a moment to see if Odell would go back to playing with the hair tie around her wrist, she frowned when he didn't but was then at ease when she felt his fingers playing with it again. She began speaking again. "I only call him Coach Dad when he's in business mode." Massy paused, a somber look on her face. "Which is... Most of the time."
Odell frowned at Massy's voice change. "It was always School and Sports, I was extremely popular in school, everyone knew me, but I didn't know everybody, I never had the time too really hang out. "By the time my junior year in high school came I was being scouted by like ten different schools already." Massy shook her head. "That's when the pressure really kicked in from him, I remember I'd freak out before some games because he'd put so much pressure on me to outshine other players. He was getting me ready to play for Team USA before I was even in College."
Odell began feeling bad for Massy, her whole life she had been trained to be nothing but a top athlete. 22 years of life and her father turned her into nothing more than a sport playing machine, barley reaping the benefits of her popularity in school to have a social life. It was all school and sports. There was no wonder she went all the way on the other side of the United States to UCLA.
"College was better, less pressure from him, and yet and still I had a perfect season four years straight, junior year co-captain, senior year captain, undefeated season, took the championship, set records, broke records, now I'm here, getting ready to represent a whole country." Massy took in a deep breath as she continued looking at the ceiling once again reality began to set in.
Odell could tell her anxiety was coming back by her silence. "But you know you can take in any player. Whether it be England, Mexico, Brazil, or Japan."
Massy smiled to herself realizing he was referring to the recent Skip Bayless comments. Massy slid her hand under Odell's and interlocked her fingers with his, he's hand completely covering her's. "You right." She said slightly nodding her head in confidence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press stood outside the Giant's training facility, a blue backdrop with current sponsors plastered all over it. Reporters with their recorders and cameras in hand. Some took to the old fashion approach and only had a pad and pencil for keynotes. A microphone stand that held a variety of news station's microphones.
After some light training, Odell had nothing but press for the rest of the day. The amount of patients he had to have to sit for hours and answer the same twenty questions from different sports blogs and stations could blow anybody's mind. The emotionless and bored face he displayed as he played with his chin hairs waiting for the next set of reporters to be let in was a sure sign that he rather be anywhere but here, but, he remained professional. Answering whatever sports questions they had.
"How do you plan to out do yourself this season compared to last season."
Odell looked at the reporter as he spoke, this was probably the sixth time he'd answered this same question, the only difference was, it was a new person asking it.
"Continue what I did last season, just better, catching everything Eli throws, we'll be good." Odell went from playing with his chin hair to pulling and twisting one of his curls.
"You say catching everything. You plan on making more catches like Thee Catch from last season. This another reporter chimed in.
"That and more." Odell kept his answers short and to the point, it was clear he was growing bored by the minute.
"What about Cruz, well we see him out there?"
Odell leaned back in his chair. "Uum I don't know, he got some light work going on, but you'll have to ask him." He said scratching his chest through his sweatshirt.
Odell calmly stood up from his chair, stretching his body out from sitting so long, he leaned back lifting his arms in the air and began walking down the three small steps that lead to the stage. The hype around Odell became apparent, it was obvious he was known for that one catch against the Cowboys, and to him, that was a problem, he was more than that catch. Odell knew he had to do a lot more proving and showing, sure that one play would no doubt go down in Giant's history, if not sports history in general, but to him, that wasn't enough.